Hawai’i : Oahu...

So here we are, on our last Hawaiian island. Oahu is the home of the lovely (but perhaps a tad over-developed) Honolulu, the world famous Pearl Harbour, and equally lovely AND famous Waikiki Beach. And very friendly people. Very. 

We had random people (tourists mainly) come to to us and say, “Hi guys. Cool shirts. Great socks. What are you up to later?”  “Hey you two. Loving the accent. You about later?” Pat us on the back in the street, tell us they used to live in the UK, ask us all sorts of stuff about our visit, and where we were drinking later. So basically it’s a very, very friendly place. With great sunsets. 

Tomorrow we head back to the UK. It will be sad to leave. It‘s a been a great holiday. 

Hawai’i : Big Island...

Stuart and I have spent the last four days on the third island of our Hawaiian trip: The Big Island. And it has been incredible. 

The Big Island is bigger than all the others put together and used to be known as simply “Hawai’i” but it lead to some confusion whether people were talking about just this island or the whole 137 island archipelago. So how is is just called Big. 

The place is perhaps more laid back than some of the other islands - more rural, perhaps - and covered in lava fields, lava flows, as well as tropical rainforests. But it is equally impressive. 

The volcanoes are epic. The observatories plentiful. And the coastline simply stunning. 

They have golden beaches, black beaches and green beaches. Amazing fish-infested coral reefs that we swam to from the shoreline. Unforgettable night swimming with manta rays. Lava tubes.  Vog (volcanic fog). Micro-climates of showers and sun - sometimes at the same time. And rainbows. Lots and lots of rainbows. 

Even the evenings were alive with colour. We would watch the magnificent sunset with its reds and yellows and oranges in the crystal blue sky, green palm trees were swaying, and golden yellow sand was running between our toes. 

With hula music wafting along the beach and a cocktail in hand it is nothing short of paradise. 

Hawai’i : Kaua’i...

Stuart and I have spent the last four days on the second island of our Hawaiian trip Kaua’i (pronounced like Hawai’i but with a K) and it’s been amazing. 

Kaua’i is the oldest of the Hawaiian islands  geologically and is also known as the Garden Island - with good reason.  Although it’s a volcanic island it is a lush place. Everywhere you look is a frenzy of dazzling green tropical flora. Being such a remote place a lot of the wildlife here is endemic too. Weird plants. Weirder animals. And lots and lots of wild chickens. 

And while much of the island is covered with tropical rainforest, the coast has beautiful beaches - complete with golden sands, swaying palm trees, and surfers enjoying the thunderous waves. A definition of paradise for many. 

But it is not only the flowers that are beautiful, there are awesome tree tunnels, dozens of epically high waterfalls, secret caves, hidden coves, a  spouting horn(!), the world famous Na Pali coast, and even a ten mile long / 3000ft deep Grand Canyon. 

The human history of the place is no less amazing. The construction of the ancient fish pools, the historic ruins, the old sugar plantations, the lighthouses, the sites of the inter-island wars, the stories of the eccentric land-owners, the influx of nudists, and the invasion of the hippies. 

Unsurprisingly lots of films have been shot here too; Blue Hawaii, King Kong, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Descendants, South Pacific, Jurassic Park, Lost World, the list goes on and on. 

Famously Elvis was a massive fan of this island too - so we had to pay a visit to Fern Grotto. You might not of heard of Fern Grotto before but Americans squeal whenever you mention it. It is *the* place where people come to get married in Hawai’i. Stuart and I went there and we rolled out eyes at the tackiness of it all. But secretly rather enjoyed it. Not that you should read anything into that!

So tomorrow to head on to island number three. And more adventures. 

Hawai’i : Maui...

So here Stuart and I are in Hawai’i for a couple of weeks - on the island of Maui to be exact.  Hawai’i is made up of lots of islands; Maui being the second largest of them, and it’s the first of four we are visiting on this trip. Island-hopping if you like. 

So far Hawai’i has shown us lots of things that we expected to see and hear; hula hula music, hula hula skirts, people wearing lei, Mai Tai by the bucket, high surf, golden sands, and beautiful scenery. 

But we have also experienced a lot of things we didn’t expect: dozen of whales jumping and splashing outside our bedroom window, magnificent waterfalls, near death-defying winding roads, tropical jungles, 10,000 foot high volcanoes (some trek up!), Mars-like lava landscapes, four seasons in one day, great sunsets, even greater sunrises, and clear skies at night with millions of twinkling stars. But most of all I think what surprised us was the cheeriness, the happiness of the people. Everybody here seems to be genuinely happy, so welcoming, and I don’t think it’s an act. I can see why so many people come here for honeymoons, for holidays, or just to relax.